The Hoosiers are seventh in NCAA Tournament appearances (39), seventh in NCAA Tournament victories (66), ninth in Final Four appearances (8), and 10th in overall victories.[6] The Hoosiers have won 22 Big Ten Conference Championships and have the best winning percentage in conference games at nearly 60 percent. No team has had more All-Big Ten selections than the Hoosiers with 53. The Hoosiers also rank seventh in all-time AP poll appearances and sixth in the number of weeks spent ranked No. 1.[7] Every four-year men's basketball letterman since 1973 has earned a trip to the NCAA basketball tournament. Additionally, every four-year player since 1950 has played on a nationally ranked squad at Indiana.[8]

The Hoosiers are among the most storied programs in the history of college basketball. A 2017 study listed Indiana as the third most valuable collegiate basketball program in the country.[9] Indiana has ranked in the top 20 nationally in men's basketball attendance every season since Assembly Hall opened in 1972, and often in the top five.[10]

Indiana players wear warm-up pants that are striped red and white, like the stripes of a candy cane. They were first worn by the team in the 1970s under head coach Bob Knight.[11] At the time they were in keeping with the fashion trends of the 1970s, but despite changing styles they have since become an iconic part of playing for Indiana. IU star guard Steve Alford said, "As you watch television and you watch the IU games, that's the first thing you saw, was the team run out in the candy stripes. So when you finally got to put those on, those are pretty special."[11] Rusty Stillions, Director of Indiana's Equipment Operations, said the pants were originally available only for team members. However, changes in licensing agreements permitted the general public to buy them as well.[11] They have since become a staple at games and other Indiana basketball events. Beginning in 2014, during Hoosier Hysteria, former IU basketball players have presented to the new players their first pair of candy striped pants. This practice symbolizes a "passing-of-the-torch" and carrying on the rich tradition and responsibilities of playing for Indiana University.[12]

The team is widely noted for their simple game jerseys. Unlike most schools, Indiana doesn't have players' names on the back of jerseys that players wear on the court.[13] The notion behind the nameless jerseys is that players play for the team name on the front, not the individual's name on the back. In keeping with Indiana's longstanding principle of putting team over player, the Hoosiers have never retired any jersey numbers. Adidas is the current outfitter of Indiana athletics.

When coach Mike Davis succeeded Bob Knight, he suggested adding names to the jerseys. However, the Hoosiers' minimalist look had become such a part of the program's brand that the proposal was dropped after considerable backlash from fans.[14] Despite the long tradition behind the jerseys, they have undergone some slight changes over the years. The school's colors are cream and crimson, but in the 1970s Knight and football coach Lee Corso started using uniforms that were more scarlet or bright red.[15] During the same time, cream gave way almost universally to white. But those colors reverted mostly to cream and crimson in the early 2000s, after then-athletics director Michael McNeely decided that the team uniforms needed to reflect the school's official colors of cream and crimson.

During the third time-out of every second half, the Indiana pep band and performs the William Tell Overture with cheerleaders racing around the court carrying myriad flags that spell out "Indiana Hoosiers." Indiana Assistant Director for Facilities, Chuck Crabb, said the tradition began in about 1979 or 1980.[16] Sportscaster Billy Packer called it "the greatest college timeout in the country."[16]

In 1971, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance became the sole sponsor of Indiana and Purdue games on WTTV.[17] During the mid-1970s, the State Farm Indiana Legends ads included a lady named "Martha" sweeping the floors of Assembly Hall while whistling and singing the school's fight song, "Indiana, Our Indiana." It ran as the introduction to Indiana basketball broadcasts for 30 years. Upon Indiana's firing of Bob Knight, Farm Bureau pulled the ad.[17] In 2009 new coach Tom Crean resurrected the tradition and had "Martha" appear at the "Midnight Madness" festivities to begin the season. Because the actress who had appeared in the original ads was unavailable, singer Sheila Stephen stepped in as the new Martha. Starting with the 2010–11 season, video of the original ad was shown at home games after the National Anthem and right before tip off.[18] In recent years, the ad has been shown just before the Hoosiers take the court.

Indiana fielded its first men's basketball team in the 1900–01 season, posting a 1–4 ledger under coach James H. Horne. In their first game the Hoosiers traveled to Indianapolis and lost to Butler 17–20.[19] Indiana's first victory was a 26–17 win over Wabash College that same year.[19]

In 1917 the Hoosiers began playing their games at the Men's Gymnasium. After the first few games there spectators complained that they couldn't see the game because of opaque wooden backboards. Therefore, new backboards were installed that contained one-and-a-half inch thick plate glass so that fans could see games without an obstructed view. As a result, it was the first facility – and the Hoosiers were the first team – in the country to use glass backboards.[20]

When Dean left for Stanford, the popular selection to succeed him was Branch McCracken.[21] McCracken was another young alumnus and former player under Everett Dean.[21] Because of his fast-breaking style of play, McCracken's teams would earn the nickname "Hurryin' Hoosiers".

McCracken's first IU team was led by All-America Ernie Andres, later a McCracken basketball assistant.[19] In McCracken's first year, the team finished 17–3, splitting games with both Purdue and eventual NCAA runnerup Ohio State.[19] The following year the 1939–40 NCAA title team, led by All-American Marvin Huffman, would take Indiana to unprecedented success: an NCAA title and a record (at the time) 20 wins.[21] The 20–3 record by that team would not be bested for another 13 years until broken again by Indiana.[21] At their home court at The Fieldhouse, Indiana saw six perfect seasons including a 24-game unbeaten home winning streak from 1938–1941. In 1948, McCracken was responsible for recruiting Bill Garrett who became the first African American player in Big Ten varsity basketball history.

The Hoosiers' 1952–53 NCAA title team – led by Bobby Leonard, Dick Farley, and three-time All-American Don Schlundt – won the Big Ten and went on to win the NCAA championship by defeating reigning champions Kansas by one point. The Hoosiers would again win the Big Ten the following season in 1953–54. Just a few years later the team won back-to-back conference championships in 1956–57 and 1957–58 behind the leadership of two-time All-American Archie Dees. A few years later the Hoosiers were led by two-time All-American Walt Bellamy, one of the few African-American players in college basketball at the time.

In the fall of 1960 the Indiana Hoosiers football program was hit with devastating NCAA sanctions that impacted every varsity sport at the school, including basketball.[22] Although the violations only occurred within the football program, all Hoosier varsity sports were barred from postseason play during the probationary period.[22] The sanctions drastically undermined the ability of coaches to lure talented players to Indiana. Nevertheless, McCracken did manage to successfully recruit twins Dick Van Arsdale and Tom Van Arsdale, both of whom would earn All-America honors in 1965.

McCracken ultimately coached IU for 23 years, amassing 364 wins and 210 Big Ten wins.[19] His teams also won four regular season Big Ten titles and went to the NCAA tournament four times, winning two national titles.[19] He was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame and the court now at Assembly Hall is named in his honor.

Sandwiched between two iconic coaches in Branch McCracken and Bob Knight, McCracken's longtime assistant and former lead scorer Lou Watson coached Indiana from 1965 through 1971, with a leave of absence in 1970 where Jerry Oliver stepped in as acting head coach. The 1966–67 team, which won a Big Ten championship, was known as the "Cardiac Kids" because of their many heart-stopping finishes. During the 1970–1971 season the Hoosiers were led by All-American George McGinnis. Watson ended his Indiana coaching career with a 61–60 record.

During Bob Knight's 29 years as head coach at Indiana, the Hoosiers won 662 games, including 22 seasons of 20 or more wins, while losing but 239, a remarkable .735 winning percentage. In 24 NCAA tournament appearances at Indiana, Hoosier teams under Bob Knight won 42 of 63 games (.667), winning titles in 1975–76, 1980–81, and 1986–87, while finishing third in 1973 and 1992. While at Indiana, a total of 23 different players under Coach Knight's tutelage received All-American and All-Big Ten honors. For 10-consecutive seasons, a player made the All-American Academic and All-Big Ten Academic Teams, and a total of 18 players were so honored. Nine Indiana players won 10 Big Ten Most Valuable Player honors.

In 1972–73, Knight's second year as coach, Indiana won the Big Ten championship and reached the Final Four, but lost to UCLA. The following season, 1973–74, Indiana once again captured a Big Ten title. In the two following seasons, 1974–75 and 1975–76, the Hoosiers were undefeated in the regular season and won 37-consecutive Big Ten games, including two more Big Ten championships. The 1974–75 Hoosiers swept the entire Big Ten by an average of 22.8 points per game. However, in an 83–82 win against Purdue they lost consensus All-American forward Scott May to a broken left arm. With May's injury keeping him to 7 minutes of play, the No. 1 Hoosiers lost to Kentucky 92–90 in the Mideast Regional. The Hoosiers were so dominant that four starters – Scott May, Steve Green, Kent Benson and Quinn Buckner – would make the five-man All-Big Ten team. The following season, 1975–76, the Hoosiers went the entire season and 1976 NCAA tournament without a single loss, beating Michigan 86–68 in the title game. Indiana remains the last school to accomplish this feat.[23][24]

Behind the play of Mike Woodson Indiana won the 1979 NIT championship. The 1979–80 Hoosiers, led by Woodson and Isiah Thomas, won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the 1980 Sweet Sixteen. The following season, in 1980–81, Thomas and the Hoosiers once again won a conference title and won the 1981 NCAA tournament, the school's fourth national title. In 1982–1983, with the strong play of Uwe Blab and All-Americans Ted Kitchel and Randy Wittman, the No. 1 ranked Hoosiers were favorites to win another national championship. However, with an injury to Kitchel mid-season, the Hoosiers' prospects were grim. Knight asked for fan support to rally around the team and, when the team ultimately won the Big Ten title, he ordered that a banner be hung for the team in Assembly Hall as a tribute to the fans, who he credited with inspiring the team to win its final three home games. Nevertheless, in the tournament Kitchel's absence was felt and the team lost to Kentucky in the 1983 Sweet Sixteen.

The 1985–86 Hoosiers were profiled in a best-selling book A Season on the Brink. To write it Knight granted author John Feinstein almost unprecedented access to the Indiana basketball program, as well as insights into Knight's private life. The following season, in 1986–87, the Hoosiers were led by All-American Steve Alford and captured a share of the Big Ten title. The team won Indiana's fifth national championship against Syracuse in the 1987 NCAA tournament with a game-winning jump shot by Keith Smart with five seconds of play remaining in the championship game.[25] In the 1988–1989 season the Hoosiers were led by All-American Jay Edwards and won a Big Ten championship.

From 1990–91 through 1992–93, the Hoosiers posted 87 victories, the most by any Big Ten team in a three-year span, breaking the mark of 86 set by Knight's Indiana teams of 1974–76. Teams from these three seasons spent all but two of the 53 poll weeks in the top 10, and 38 of them in the top 5. They captured two Big Ten crowns in 1990–91 and 1992–93, and during the 1991–92 season reached the Final Four. During the 1992–93 season, the 31–4 Hoosiers finished the season at the top of the AP Poll, but were defeated by Kansas in the Elite Eight. Teams from this era included Greg Graham, Pat Knight, All-Americans Damon Bailey and Alan Henderson, and National Player of the Year Calbert Cheaney.

Throughout the mid and late 1990s Knight and the Hoosiers continued to experience success with superior play from All-Americans Brian Evans and A. J. Guyton. The Hoosiers won a minimum of 19 games and played in the NCAA Tournament each year. However, 1993 would be Knight's last conference championship and 1994 would be his last trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Moreover, his portrayal in the media often brought as much controversy to the school as success. The controversial reputation, combined with a strained relationship with then-University President Myles Brand, resulted in Knight's controversial dismissal in 2000.[26]

Following Bob Knight's tumultuous exit from Indiana, assistant Mike Davis took over as interim head coach in the fall of 2000. In his first season, Davis led a team featuring All-Americans Kirk Haston and Jared Jeffries to a 21–13 record. The following year, in the 2001–02 season, Davis was named the permanent coach. That year the Hoosiers captured a share of the Big Ten championship and made an unexpected trip to the 2002 NCAA championship game. But after the Hoosiers failed to make the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2005 (for the first time since 1985), criticism of Davis grew. Following months of speculation, he announced his resignation in February 2006, saying the basketball program needed to move on with a new coach. He remained with the team for the rest of the 2006 season before leaving.[27]

On March 28, 2006, Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson was named coach of the Hoosiers, despite a history of violating NCAA rules and sanctions imposed on him.[28] Sampson fielded competitive teams and scored a major recruiting victory by persuading in-state star Eric Gordon to sign with Indiana.[29] The Hoosiers, with Gordon and forward D.J. White, were considered one of the better teams during the 2007–2008 season. However, in October 2007 Sampson was found to have violated rules again, this time by engaging in a 3-way phone conversation with a recruit. Indiana punished Sampson by denying him a previously scheduled $500,000 raise, firing one of his assistant coaches, and taking away one of his scholarships for the 2008–2009 season.[30]

In early February 2008 the NCAA informed Indiana that Sampson had "knowingly violated telephone recruiting restrictions and then lied about it." After launching another internal investigation, Indiana officials announced just 14 days later that Sampson accepted a $750,000 buyout of his contract and resigned as the men's basketball coach.[31] Former player and assistant coach Dan Dakich was named Interim Head Coach. In November 2008, the NCAA imposed a three-year probation on the basketball program and upheld the school's self-imposed sanctions stemming from the actions of Sampson and his staff.[32]

On April 1, 2008, Tom Crean was hired as head coach and inherited a thoroughly depleted team.[33] Between Crean's hiring and the start of the 2008–09 season, freshman Eric Gordon opted to leave early for the NBA and star forward DJ White graduated. Two other players transferred and three others were kicked off the team. As a result, Crean began with a roster consisting of two walk-ons who had scored a combined 36 points in their careers.[34] As a result, Crean's first three seasons saw losing records of 6–25 record (the worst in school history), 10–21, and 12–20. However, during this period Crean's recruiting classes progressively improved, most notably with the signing of five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American Cody Zeller.

The 2011–2012 season was a watershed one for Crean and the program, which saw a 27–9 record and a sweet 16 appearance. The team earned wins over the #1 ranked Kentucky, the #2 ranked Ohio State, and #5 ranked Michigan State. This made Indiana the first Big 10 program to knock off the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the same season since 1991 and the first IU squad ever to defeat three programs ranked in the top five in the regular season.[35][36] The fifteen game win improvement in 2011–2012 was the largest single turnaround in the NCAA that season.[37] Crean's guidance of the program to success from "unthinkable depths" was regarded as one of the most remarkable rebuilding projects in NCAA basketball history.[34] The Hoosiers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2012 NCAA Tournament before losing a rematch game to Kentucky, who would go on to win the national championship. Following the surprise run to the Sweet Sixteen, the 2012–2013 Hoosiers spent 10 weeks ranked #1 in the country, and all but two weeks in the top 5.[38] The experience of Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford, alongside the talent of Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller, led this team to a finish of outright Big Ten regular season champions for the first time since 2002. They again advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, the first time since the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons that the Hoosiers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in back-to-back seasons. As national player of the year, Oladipo and Zeller both left for the NBA after the conclusion of the season.

After a rough start, the 2015–2016 Hoosiers finished the season 27–8 overall and 15–3 in the Big Ten to win the Big Ten regular season title outright. They received the #1 seed in the 2016 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, where they made an early quarterfinals exit. As Big Ten Conference Champions, the Hoosiers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and beat Chattanooga and Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in five years; however, they fell to North Carolina in the next round. Despite the highs of the previous season and being ranked as high as #3 in the nation, the 2016–2017 team faced a troubling and disappointing year; they finished 18–16 overall and 7–11 in Big Ten play. After tying for tenth in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers missed out on the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round of the NIT, their first appearance since 2005. On March 16, 2017, the Indiana Hoosiers Athletic's Department fired coach Tom Crean.[39] He ended his tenure with the Hoosiers with an overall record of 166–135 (.551), three Sweet Sixteen appearances, and two regular season conference championships.

Indiana's first basketball home was the original Assembly Hall, and at the time it was known simply as the Men's Gymnasium. As a multi-purpose building it also hosted a number of other indoor sports and campus activities. The wood frame structure was built in 1896 at a cost of $12,000 and had a seating capacity of 600, though many more would often pack inside to watch games. It was located on the east side of Owen Hall where a small "A" parking lot sits today on the south side of the Indiana Memorial Union building. The first basketball game was played on February 21, 1901, when Indiana lost to Butler 24–20. In March 1911 the gym hosted the first ever Indiana high school basketball tournament and was hosted by the IU Booster Club instead of the IHSAA. As basketball began to outgrow the facility, students went so far as to characterize the gym as a public menace and health risk. On January 13, 1917, Indiana played its final game in the gym with a win over Iowa State 29–13. The building was torn down in 1938.[41]

The Men's Gymnasium served as the home of the basketball team from 1917–1928. After the first few games spectators complained that they couldn't see the game because of opaque wooden backboards. As a result, the Nurre Mirror Plate Company in Bloomington was employed to create new backboards that contained one-and-a-half inch thick plate glass so that fans could see games without an obstructed view. As a result, it was the first facility in the country to use glass backboards.[42] Due to growing popularity of the sport at the school the team eventually had to move to a larger arena. The facility is now used by the School of Public Health-Bloomington (formerly the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, HPER).

The Wildermuth Intramural Center (previously called The Fieldhouse) hosted the basketball team from 1928–1960. Indiana star player (and later coach) Branch McCracken scored the first point in the facility with a free throw.[20] During the team's 32 seasons there, it hosted two national championship teams, five conference titles, twenty different All-Americans, and three Big Ten Most Valuable Players. However, the growing popularity of the sport necessitated a move to a new facility.

The New Fieldhouse (later named the Gladstein Fieldhouse) was originally intended as an interim home for the men's basketball team, but ended up hosting the team for eleven years from 1960–1971. It now serves as a state-of-the-art track and field facility.

The Hoosiers currently play at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The 17,222 seat arena has been the home of the men's basketball team since 1972. The basketball floor is named Branch McCracken Court after the legendary Hoosier coach. The south end of the arena prominently displays the program's five national championship banners. Former head coach Bob Knight called the facility a "sacred place" for student fans and athletes.[43] Basketball sportscaster Gus Johnson called Assembly Hall, "the Carnegie Hall of basketball."[44]

Cook Hall is a basketball practice facility that was completed in 2010 and is located next to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, connected by an underground tunnel. Bill and Gayle Cook donated $15 million to the "For the Glory of Old IU" campaign, out of which came Cook Hall where the IU basketball team is able to engage in day-to-day operations. It contains the Pfau Shine Legacy Court, a museum space that chronicles the history of Indiana basketball with photographs, artifacts, trophies and interactive touch-screen kiosks. The 67,000-square-foot, three story facility features two practice courts, two locker rooms, two player lounges, a strength and conditioning area, coaches' offices, and meeting rooms.[45]

Indiana has won five NCAA Championships in men's basketball (1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987) — the first two under coach Branch McCracken and the latter three under Bob Knight — and 22 Big Ten Conference championships. The Hoosiers' five NCAA Championships are tied with Duke (5) for the fourth-most in history, trailing only UCLA (11), Kentucky (8), and North Carolina (6).[50] Their eight trips to the Final Four ranks ninth on the all-time list.[51] The Hoosiers have made 39 appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament (seventh-most in NCAA history).[50] In those 39 appearances, Indiana has posted a 66–34 record (.660).[50] Its 66 victories are the seventh-most in NCAA history.[50] The Hoosiers are ranked 8th for the longest streak of NCAA tournament appearances at 18 (1986–2003). The Hoosiers also won post-season tournaments in 1974, the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament, and in 1979, the National Invitation Tournament. As of 2017, the 1976 Hoosiers remain the last NCAA men's basketball team to go undefeated in both regular season and postseason play.